Collapsible ladder for berths.



No. 666,566. Patented Jan. 22, mm.

y w. c. SHERMAN.

COLLAPSIBLE LADDER FOR BERT HS.

. (Application filed m 9, 1900. (No Model.) 2 Sheats-$heet I.

Unrran STAT S WILLIAM C. SHERMAN, on ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

COLLAPSIBLE LADDER FO R BERTHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,566, dated January 22, 1901.

Application filed May 9,1900. Serial No. 16,071. (No model.)

T0 to whont it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. SHERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orlando, in the county of Orange and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Ladders for Berths, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible ladders for berths, and has for its object to provide a collapsible ladder attached to the upper berth of a sleeping-car or vessel in such manner that when not in use the ladder may be folded up within a compact space against the inner side of the outer rail of the berth and be held in place thereagainst and when needed may be readily released and unfolded in position to afford ready and convenient access to and from the berth.

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims following the description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a berth-section, showing my improved ladder applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail View in elevation of the ladder folded up. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the ladder folded down into operative position, and Fig. at is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4 tof Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the lower berth of a section of a car or vessel, and2 the upper berth thereof, the numerals 3 and -11 indicating, respectively, the usual outer rails of said berths. Screwed or otherwise suitably fastened to the inner side of the outer rail 4 of the upper berth is a plate 5, to which are pivotally attached the upper ends of the legs or side bars 6 of the ladder in the manner hereinafter particularly described. Thelegs or side bars 6 of the ladder each consists of a longitudinally-slotted strip or bar, the slot being indicated by the numeral '7, and in the slotted portions of said strips or side bars are pivoted the ends of the rungs or rounds 8 by pivot-pins or rivets 9. The two legs or side bars are adapted to be folded up into parallelism in manner similar to a parallel ruler, and in order to permitsaid being pivoted to the plate 5 by a pin or rivet 13, and the link 12 being longitudinally slotted, as at 14, and movably secured to the plate 5 by a pin or rivet 15, which is fixed in the plate 5 at a point slightly higher than or above the horizontal plane of the pivot-pin 13 for the purpose hereinafter explained.

The lower end of the ladder when unfolded and in position for use rests against the rail 3 of the lower berth, or, if preferred, the lower end of the ladder may rest upon the floor. When not in use, the ladder is collapsed and folded up in the following manner: The attendant grasps the leg or side bar of the lad-.

der, (shown on the right hand in Fig. 1 of the drawings,) to which the link 12 is jointed, and slightly raises it, the slotted link 12 permitting of such movement, and at the same time moves the ladder bodily to one side, as shown in Fig. 1, the links 11 and 12 turning about the pins or pivots 13 and 15. As the ladder is swung upward and to one side the legs or side bars 6 approach each other and when completely collapsed and folded up lie in parallelism, as shown in Fig. 2, the rungs or rounds 8 folding over upon one another, as shown. As the ladder is folded up against the inner side of the rail 4, as described, the legs are grasped by a spring-clasp 16, attached to the inner side of said rail, and the ladder is held up in its folded position, when it will be concealed from view and be stored out of the way. To place the ladder in operative position, it is merely necessary to disengage the legs 6 from the spring-clasp 16, when the ladder will drop by gravity into place, as shown. When in this position, the occupant of the lower berth may readily get in and out by merely pushing the ladder outward, as the same freely swings about the joints 10.

By movably connecting the link 12 to the plate 5 in the manner shown the ladder may be folded up into a very compact space and may be entirely concealed from view behind the rail 4 of the berth, and it will be obvious that if such means werevnot provided-hut instead bothilinks were pivoted to thelplate 5 in the manner the link 11 is pivoted thereto, it would not be possible to fold the legs 6 into parallelism behind the rail.

When constructed, as shown, the ladder is extremelylight, strong, and inexpensive, may readily be placed in operative position, and when not in use mayzbe folded upintocorm pact form and concealed from View without occupying space useful for any other pur pose. =The'y1addernmay, also.-be=quickly ap;- plied to berths already constructed without the necessity of employing skilled labor and without altering the berth in any manner.

Having described my invention, what I claim'is- 1. Ina; collapsible ladderflforberths, th I combination with a plateconstructed to-bd rigidly attached to the inner. side of the side rail ofthe berth, of legspivotally attached at theirnpper ends to said plate and arranged to swing at a rightpangle to the plate toward and' from the-berth and to collapse and" fold up behind the berth-rail parallel to said plate,

and rungsor rounds pivoted at their opposite"- ends tosaid legs, substantially as described,

2.'j In a collapsible ladder for. berths, the combination'with the legs and the rungs or rounds pivoted at their opposite ends to'the Ina collapsible ladder'for berths, the

combinationwiththe legs and the rungs or -rounds pivoted at their opposite ends to the legs, of-links hinged to the upper ends of 'the .legs of the ladder, one of said links being longitudinally, slottedand the other provided with a perforation, and pivotpins passing .7 through said slot and perforation in the links .longerthanthe other and. longitudinally slotted, and the other link provided with a perforation, and pivot-pins passing through said slot and perforation in the links and serving to pivotally attach the links to the berth-rail, substantiallyas described and for the purpose specified.

.5. In a collapsible ladder for berths, the

combination with the legs and rungs or v rounds pivoted at their opposite ends to the legs, of means for pivotingthe upper ends of the legs to the berth-rail, said ladder being adapted to be collapsed and folded up against the side of'the berth-rail, and a spring-clasp provided-with means for attachment to the berth -rail-and operating to automatically clasp the legs of the ladder when the latter is collapsed and folded up and hold the ladder in place against the berth-rail, substantially as described.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- -W-ILLIAM O.- SHERMAN. =Witnesses:

S. Y: WAY, MAHLON GORE.

' nesses. 

